The Other Side of the Tomahawk

Yunel Escobar is now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and many of us are wondering what exactly we can expect from this highly touted 27 year old shortstop.

I wanted to get a perspective from the other side of the trade, so Kris from the Atlanta Braves blog Tomahawk Take was gracious enough to provide his thoughts and weigh in on the deal:

“I really liked Escobar coming into the season, but he has been underwhelming this year offensively yet solid defensively. There have been a lot of reports of his perceived bad attitude and I think that absolutely played into this trade.

Rumor was that he wasn’t well liked in the locker room and typically you don’t stick with the Braves long if that happens.I think the Braves were reluctant to commit big money to him through arbitration when they may not have been happy with his work ethic.

I like Escobar still and can’t really understand his struggles this season, but I think a change of scenery will do him wonders.”

The circumstances with the Braves surrounding Yunel Escobar feel all to familiar compared to what the Blue Jays went with in regards to Alex Rios.

Both organizations were hoping these guys would become cornerstones of the future, but instead they became more of a liability than a benefit and that’s probably why both Escobar and Rios are in different uniforms.

That being said, the Atlanta Braves are loading up for a pennant run and I wish them all the best in their quest for the playoffs. Hopefully, the Blue Jays will meet them again in October some day soon.

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez “mine” incident. He’ll also retell the story of Game 5 of the ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.

route19, I'm also a little surprised that folks aren't voting in droves for Scott Downs. He seems like the guy on the roster who has the most value at this point, since he's projected to be a Type A free agent.